eq5 motors take a while to get going

[chemtom24]

is it just me or has anyone else had the same problem with the eq5 mount. If i hold down a directional button i cannot see any movement in the ep for a good 10/15/20 seconds. Is this normal or are the batteries running low or is there a problem? Il be using them for guiding soon, will they be ok?

[Raviv]

Just purchased SkyWatcher BKP2001EQ5 GoTo. Only been out with it a couple of times, so still learning. I think the DEC movement is purposely much slower than the RA movements when slewing manually with the directional buttons, because if the polar alignment is close, then the DEC movements should be minimal. Have you tried increasing the speed of the scope with the "rate" key? It is benefitial if you have a 3 stage battery charger with the floating (trickle) stage. This way the battery will not be damaged by over charging. Always fully charge the battery before you go out so there is no doubt about a low power source. It is good to record how many hours the battery operated when observing and then to record how long it took to recharge it afterward. Then, together with knowing the technical details of the battery and charger you can determine how the battery is preforming. I hope this helps.

[Raviv]

If your scope requires a minumum "power source" of 2 amps, then the motor of the scope only requires a maximum of 2 amps of electrical flow in order to operate properly. If your battery has a 12 amp hour rating and it only takes from the battery a maximum of 2 amps then theoretically you have about 6 hours of battery use at 2 amps per hour. However, operating the battery until it is empty will damage the battery and reduce its lifetime use. It is recommended never to discharge a battery below 80% (some recommend even 50%). Therefore you would have about 4.8 hours of observation time (6 hours x 80%) according to this example.

[Bizibilder]

If you are switching the direction of the drive by using the buttons there will inevitably be a short delay due to backlash in the gears. This will be more apparent when using "slow" slewing simply because it takes longer for the gears to rotate sufficiently to take up the backlash. In fast slew you probably wouldn't notice the delay at all.

[chemtom24]

at 8x theres a delay even when first using it. maybe batteries are going? idk.

[Bizibilder]

If it were the batteries (dry cells I assume?) then I would expect the motors to run slower rather than "delay". I assume that you have all the clutches locked?

[Dann]

As Bizi said there is a definite delay when changing directions but It’s not as long as 10 seconds on my EQ5.

I power mine with a 12v PSU from Modern Astronomy

Accessories @ Modern Astronomy

[welshdai]

i am using an eq3... not sure what is the same/different.

the motors seem to change behaviour depending on temperature, not sure if its just the metals cooling and heating at different rates etc. Does create a delay, around 4-5 seconds on times.

[The Viper]

the delay on the eq5 dual motor drive is because of backlash mine is nowhere near 20 second mabey 3 seconds.instead of batteries they run out really fast get a powertank you will save money in the long run

[malc-c]

when slewing using both motors the current draw is typically 3.8Amps. Try using a suitable mains powered supply and see if that makes any difference, and try re-balancing the scope.

[chemtom24]

ahh well my 2nd hand pretty much brand new older black type HEQ5 standard arerived today. promptly modded the handset for an st4 port and etsted - still works fine. Thgouth id test out the slew speed too on a staionary object. granted this handset has max of 16x whereas eq5 was max 8x, but the movement was instant. having siad that, they wetre brand new batteries i put in today.

[malc-c]

There is a natural ramp up and down of the motors, it's not an instant switch to full slew speed, but shouldn't take 20 seconds for the scope to start moving once a button is pressed.

[chemtom24]

malc, i dont care ive got rid!!! ibve got a heq5 now. all good

[malc-c]

Doh... been a long day !!